Live Review: Sleep Token - Utilita Arena, Birmingham
Support: Bilmuri
28th November 2024
Words: Matthew Williams
Photos: Tim Finch
Many Gen Xers took a sharp intake of breath when they heard that Sleep Token were set to headline Britain’s biggest outdoor metal festival next summer. They are a band that I personally never really “got”, and I can’t figure out exactly why, but when I was offered the chance to see them live, it was one that I couldn’t turn down.
My roots are steeped in thrash metal, a love I’ve had from the 80’s, so is Sleep Tokens mixing of progressive, post rock, gospel, RnB, alt-metal styling just not for me or is just Vessel’s voice, which on certain songs grates on me like nails going down a whiteboard (yes, another Gen X reference)? With nervousness, I step inside a major arena for the first time since watching Ghost in April 2022 to witness the “hottest rock band on the planet”
Before the main attraction, we get Bilmuri. Now, I’m as open minded as the next person, but I just didn’t get them at all. Frontman Johnny Franck looked like he’d just come from the Fitness First gym around the corner and spent most of the set shouting “Birmingham”. The undoubted star of the show is the wonderfully talented saxophonist, flutist and backing singer Gabi Rose, whose talent is undoubted.
Their style of pop-punk, alt-metal isn’t really my thing, and they struggled to engage the crowd fully, but they bound around the stage with enormous energy with songs like “Empty Handed”, “All Gas” and the enjoyable “Blindsided”. With Johnny describing one of their songs as the “dogs bollocks” even though he had no idea what it meant, the most poignant moment of their set was when he introduced “Straight Through You” and how back in 2016 he wanted to end his life, but he starting writing music, and people started listening, and it “changed my life”. They finish with the announcement that they are coming back next March, before ripping into “Better Hell”.
With time to spare, I go chatting to the young lady next to me, who had bought her ticket that afternoon. I asked why she liked Sleep Token, and she found the music sexy and soulful, sensual and youthful, aspects I’d never even considered. She found them hard to define, so are they simply playing music for the Tik Tok generation?
At 9pm, the lights go down, the arena is lit up by mobile phones, all aimed at the stage. The intro begins and Vessel appears and begins with “The Night Does Not Belong to God”. The lighting is dynamic and sharp, like lasers trained to pinpoint accuracy, which they probably are, but they’ve somehow made an arena feel small and atmospheric. The three backing singers, collectively known as Espera, add depth with their vocal harmonies, and the 90-minute adventure begins.
With the rest of the band now on stage, they pull out the heavy guns with “The Offering” and this is where they pique my interest, the aesthetic is spectacular, without detracting from the vocal. With Vessel skipping around the stage, members III and IV move to the end of the ego ramp, (that’s an Axl Rose reference for those who know) and they are clearly enjoying this moment and what is yet to come.
One part of the setlist that I really like is they play their albums in chronological order, so you can hear and feel how the band have developed over time. “Dark Signs” has an essence of RnB about it, and I can begin to understand why sexy and soulful have been used as a description. The heavy drums from II are a joy to listen to and with “Higher” the crowd are now fully immersed as they sing the words back to the band.
After a quick interlude, they return with songs from “This Place Will Become Your Tomb” as Vessel appears at his keyboard, surrounded in smoke cascading down the stairs. It’s a powerful and emotional song, but then “Hypnosis” takes the performance to another level, and my head is finally bopping along. This is why I came, this is what intrigued me about them, this is what I want to see more of, but it’s all too fleeting, as they revert to the more soulful side of their personas with “Like That”.
I can appreciate the dramatic side of their music, that post-rock/metal sound is one that I’ve grown more to enjoy recently, but when they play “Alkaline” I can finally see why I’ve been conflicted in my opinion, as I don’t feel that they are redefining rock/metal as a genre, but they are a rock/metal band for millennials, for the social media generation, whose attention span is short, who want to take selfies with their friends, or constantly get up out their seats to get snacks and drinks, as so many of the songs are watched through their phones.
“Missing Limbs” is one hell of a song, with a soft guitar sound, Vessel stands alone bathed in pink lights, and if I closed my eyes, I’d have thought I was listening to Tracy Chapman, such is the variation in his voice. It’s quite a masterful vocal performance, unlike anything I’ve seen before, and then after another short interlude, Vessel re-appears at the front of the stage through a hole in the floor and they kick into the utterly magnificent “Chokehold”
It's such a complex song, as it crushes in parts, exploding in mesmeric notes and sounds, as well as harmonic melodies. With a heavy as hell introduction, “The Summoning”, explodes into life, accompanied by a high-pitched vocal that work smoothly with the rhythm section. Added to the dramatic red lighting, which adds depth to the ambience, we get a solo from II, as the drum platform rises into the air.
The mood switches back to a more RnB feel, almost Usheresque, with “Granite” and at one stage I feel like I’m at a hip hop gig, but then bassist III walks to the front and signals for the crowd to split and do a wall of death, but about 50 people take part. However, are the band really trying to be a rock/metal band or are they simply making their own way in the musical stratosphere and forging a niche of their own?
“Rain” is another solo effort from Vessel stood behind his keyboard, and it brings the mood right down again, the tense dark feeling, split by blinding lights that encourage a clap along from the adoring masses as the rest of the band play when required. Vessel dominates the performance from start to finish, and with “Ascensionism” tugging at the heart strings once again, it’s easy to see why they’ve developed such a cult following.
Espera are ridiculously brilliant singers as well, who add so much to the overall show, as their tone and harmonies allow everything to flow and it’s probably heard most in songs like this, as they enable Vessel’s multi-dimensional voice to surge anywhere and everywhere. He disappears into the hole as the drummer appears and throws sticks into the crowd.
Another short interlude, then they re-emerge for probably their biggest song “Take Me back to Eden” with green lights flooding the stage, it’s a haunting, sinister and damn right impressive song that covers so many styles, which is part of the appeal. It’s a huge number, and like an onion, has so many layers to it, with the crowd as one, clamouring to film it whilst singing every word. With phones held aloft, they finish with “Euclid” with the arena lit up like a night sky.
And as the crowd disperses, smiles and tears on the faces of the lucky ones who have witnessed the beginning of a new dawn. I don’t quite know if they are the saviours of rock/metal but Sleep Token will give fans something new and interesting to watch and listen to at Download next year. Only time will tell if they are here to stay or if they are simply riding the crest of the wave.
Photo Credits: Tim Finch Photography
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